For the past week, for whatever reason, the internet site has been down. I wrote this Sunday and Monday and Tuesday of last week. Since it’s not up yet I thought I’d write this. Hopefully it’s up soon. The War has started now so this is old news, but there’s a lot of important stuff in here. It was a fun/busy/inspiring week. I love being here now. This has been an exciting week, with a couple of Spearhead shows at the end of the week to top it off. Check out Spearheadvibrations.com and start the music, then come back and read this. I contacted Geurilla Management, and they liked the idea of parking Hemphry right out front, and I could table if I brought my own. Boy-o-boy, could I ever! I just found out, there’s over one hundred people from thirty-five countries in Iraq that are serving as human shields. Saddam invited people to come, and help defend the country from the onslaught of U.S. led bombing. These are people who are taking their position in the world, and the influence they are privileged to have, and are exercising true heroic compassion. This war signifies America’s Hostile Takeover of the Earth. Bush has already stated: If you’re not with us, you're against us. In other words, If your ’country is not working for America, you are the enemy. So if you are the leader of a rice-growing country with a high debt, and hungry people, and you feed the people rather than export the rice, your country would be violating trade agreements and would face repercussions. If you’re not razing jungle to make room for grazing cows, Watch Out! You could be next! The U.S. economy is proven to be detrimental to the Earth. Cars, never-ending consumptive growth, and golf courses all show disrespect to Mother Gaia. Exhaust fumes, dwindling resources, and pesticide tainted rivers result from our society. One may want to consider her options before siding with either the U.S. or Other________. Personally, I see the Earth as providing for my needs better than the mall, Wal-mart, Safeway and the Television do! I wish no harm to any person, and only wish to make this life experience more better for all of us, rather than a select few. Clean air, pure water, wholesome food, and unconditional love that we all need is far more important than anything else. If this worldview makes me terrorist, then I guess words can be pretty manipulative. Let us unite once and for all, placing Earth and her health at the forefront of our efforts. Now is not the time for diversion. Let us all focus once and for all on the aspects of life which matter. There has never been a more volatile time on Earth. The have-nots have swelled to a critical mass, and it's time for us have’s to work with what we have on behalf of the Not's to create a brighter future for all of us. I just found out that there have been actions all over the city today. I didn’t realize that today would be the day! I’m going to have to get my shit together and get out there. I've been out of the loop for the last couple of days. There’s a number on one of the handouts I’ve been handing. I’d better give‘em a call. We’re holding a general strike across the country to show how we the people can affect America. Bush is going against the wishes of most Earthlings, by starting War on the people of Iraq. I think most people on Earth feel more threatened by Bush and the United States Government, than by any other group or agency. We in America must do our duty as humans, consumers, and voters to not endorse this misguided way of war.The Government, and it’s extensions (supposedly public) operate with the health of the economy in mind. The economy is run by corporations who generate and dictate social trends which create economic growth. These two bodies are often the target of our (the public's angst). These men lie, swindle, compete, and make decisions that effect us, without consulting us or even acting on our behalf. Anybody will tell you that the corporations have the government in their back pocket. And to a large extent, I agree. Someone just told me that Bush owns Eli Lily, a pharmaceutical giant that capitalizes on people’s ill health. I guess we know what his intentions are...But my point is that we all run the corporations, who in turn run the show. It’s up to us in the end to determine what is done on our behalf. The hour of passing the buck has come to an end. We cause effects, and it’s time to be accountable. In many ways, it’s so not our fault. The corporate media has conditioned us, both in programming content and in advertising, to consume, consume, consume. Advertising disconnects us from listening to our body, to listening to the commercials. Advertising blurs the meanings of needs and wants, turning our wants into needs, masking our true needs, while creating new wants. Modern Popular Consumption is a never-ending cycle, with no thought to repercussions, and no sense of the true gratification that a holistic approach to life provides. Furthermore, our economy depends upon continued growth for it to work. Duh? Is it rational to expect infinite growth in a finite space? We only have one Earth! Part of my day last week in Fairfax, when my e-mail got zapped was that the Gas pedal broke off the floor, and I had to jimmy rig it up, so I could drive. I made it back to San Mateo, where I spent a couple of days computing and communing with all the folks over there. I feel so blessed to be welcome several places in the Bay area, so I can move around, even now, whileHemphry’s in the shop (more to come on that). I left for Santa Cruz on Thursday, taking Highway One down the Coast. It was a nice drive, even though that darn gas pedal started acting up. The Ocean was pounding the coast, ceaselessly. White curls on a grey body, rolling up with a message of storm impending. As I entered town, on my way to the acupuncture school, the gas pedal wasn’t coming back up and Hemphry finally just gave up, and wouldn’t start again. I put on the four-ways, then rolled him ontothe side of the road. I was trying to start again, but couldn’t, then a dude pokes his head in and said "you wanna hand?" "Oh yeah, please" He put down several bags and a guitar, and came to the rescue. He knew the guys in the bike shop, and we could push Hemphry to the back. Up the entrance and down the drive, into the back parking lot, David and I managed to get him into a spot. I called and told Vanessa that I couldn’t make the appointment. She understood The dudes in the Santa Cruz Bicycle shop were chill, and said I could park there over night. David had a guitar among other things and was teaching a neighbourhood kid to play while I was figuring out what to do. A guy who was in the bike shop came back and offered to drive me to a place where I could get a part. The spring that connects the accelerator cable was bent out of shape and I figured that replacing it would help me drive. It didn’t end up helping, but brother (Larry?) was really nice for taking me over to the Volks Café. I felt better, after a bit of a bummer. David introduced me to Casey, who runs a cell phone store, and next thing we knew David was playing us some great guitar and singing. He’s got quite a voice. He’s big, kinda like Neil Young, but more California...Long story short; Casey and Emanuel dropped me, my drum, and the Hemp Treasury off at the Catalyst. Burn the Man was playing and they’d invited me to set up. Hemphry or not, I made it! Will walked up, and him and I hung out prior to the show. He helped me set up and we had fun together. I give thanks to Spirit for providing all of the wonderful people who play a part in my life and this mission. God knows I need help, as we all do. So I have gratitude for those who have lent a helping hand along the way. Thank You. Burn the Man was a ton of fun. The show started with astreet parade, with a jam about two blocks down the street. The Goddesses of Funk, anall-grrrl Samba group, and Burn the Man and me busted out phat beats on the Street. Lot’s of people gathered and followed us back to the Catalyst. What a way to start a show! I finished setting up and danced for a while. At some point, I started painting the banner for the March on Saturday. My plan was to have people come up and paint throughout the evening, but it never really caught on. Oh well, it was fun dancing! The sign (which is done now) was to be painted with Helps Eradicate Militaristic Patriarchy, spelling HEMP downward. I met a woman who had good ideas about urging rich people like Bill Gates to buy old-growth trees, and forever preserve them. I think it’s a good idea, and I’ll help distribute a letter if she e-mails me one. She gave me a ride to Hemphry with all my stuff. Give Thanks! The next day I rode my bike up to the University. It was a half-hour up hill, and like five minutes coming back down. I love riding my bike! The Kresge’co-op is a cool little health-food-store on campus, and they support Hemp Paper. Lot’s of youth are interested in hemp for saving trees, because we’re the ones who’ll be breathingfurthest into the future, and we want to breathe Oxygen! Marijuana must become legal, because then Hemp will become legal. If that happens, Corporations will lose the power they have because we can make so much from Hemp, and other plants too. A lot of the current situation is a result of our unwillingness as a society to revere plants and the gifts they bring to our lives here on Earth. All of our needs can be met with plants, and that’s just so cool. I rode in a Tow Truck up along the Coast, East on 92, Over the San Mateo Br. Up through Oakland, past Berkley to Pinole. Whew! It was just under 100 miles which is what CAA covers in a service call. Me and the driver had good conversation. He showed me neat spots along the Ocean, told me history and I could take photos along the way. We listened to Tool and arrived at Letcher Bros. Automotive around 5:30. I called Karen of Guerrilla Management to tell her what happened and let them know we’d be later, but could make it. Patrick, Melissa’s partner who I met at Granola Funk and saw in Vegas, lived near the shop and earlier I had called to see if they wanted to come to Spearhead tonight, met me at the Auto shop as I was packing my bags and stuff to be away from Hemphry for a few days. We sat in traffic for over an hour as we crossed the Bay Bridge, and arrived at the Avalon Ballroom after Seven. Patrick and I parked in a spot that opened up as I prayed for one. Incredible! We met Melissa on the way, and Mellody was there in line. Great! We all made it. I felt bad, but we butted in line, asked to speak with Gina, and eventually we got in to set up the table. Michael Franti was the first person to greet me when I got upstairs to where we were tabling. He welcomed me and gave me a big hug, which was perfect after the "getting in", the meeting up with everybody, the parking, the traffic, the bridge, the traffic, the auto shop, the tow-truck trip, the long bike ride, and Hemphry's breakdown. I was there, I’d made it, Hemphry or not! Everything worked out because I ended up being right next to Cougar and the One Love Family! Orion was there and it was so cool. We set up the table and soon Gina came to see if we could share the table with a group. At first I put up a little resistance, y’know, it’s a heavy table, but soon, my opposition dissolved. It worked out good because the people tabling were Mumia Campaigners, and I was happy to share the booth with them. The Free Mumia! campaign is significant of the resolve that committed activists have made to keep the Torch of Justice burning in these dark times. Mumia is in solitary confinement, and he still writes poignant commentary on society from his perspective in Death Row. Tabling at a show can make it hard to fully "let go" at a show, but since I’d be there both nights, I kind of took it easy that first night. The balcony section where we were was a great place to see the show from. There was room to move and it was comfortable. About the only thing missing is the high energy that one feels from the crowd when you’re in the middle of it. I thrive on that energy, so it’s a bit tough to stay away. I managed to make it downstairs for the second half of the second set on the first night and it was so good. Michael Franti has awesome energy and holds the attention of everyone really well. We did some releasing of Negativity and visualized Positivity, while bowed down to the ground. I don’t know his name, but the dude who does the Beat-Boxing gave us a show on Friday night, busting out a mouth-made medley that included Salt-N-Peppa’s Push It. With all the arm waving, the call and response, the jumping and the good old fashioned butt shaking, I ended up being pretty beat for "taking it easy" on the first night. Melody and I quickly split back to her place, to get some rest. The meeting time for the march tomorrow was Eleven a.m. and we still had to paint a banner. We awoke and did our morning exercises, painted the banner, and were out the door soon after noon, which wasn't too bad. When we started marching from the CivicCentre, it was after 1:30 p.m. There had been a steady stream of people leaving and marching the 1.5 mile route since noon, and there were still many people yet to embark. The march itself was nice. We moved slowly through the lower Haight, up into the Filmore district, which is a predominantly Black and Latino Neighbourhood. Response from the locals varied from flashed peace signs to vocal support from upstairs windows and balconies. The parade ended at Jefferson Square, with speakers, performers, tablers and vendors. We hung out with the One Love family, tabling and going around handing out Hemp info and trading Papers for all sorts of cool stuff. I got a book by Noam Chomsky, as well as some food. I’d say the day was a good Demonstration of Peace, and of how we can all get along. Cougar gave us a ride over to the show in his R.V. but it had run out of gas, so we were on the mission to find gas before running out, which could be any moment, the way that that V8 burns. Anywho, we got gas, then, late as we were, we made it to the show and set up and everything was O.K. I set up the booth, then slipped out to get some hummus, avocado, and some Carrots, all Organic from the Whole foods down the street. The food was a welcome addition to our booth. Soon several of us were munching on Hummus and avocado pockets. It’s a good way to start a show. Shortly after, we took care of our heads, and we were all set. The Avalon Ballroom is a great venue. It’s a bit of a relic from the Original Hippie era. I’ve seen some great Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and other Psychedelic posters advertising shows in the Avalon Ballroom. It closed in the Seventies, and has now been re-opened, by some old-school family who saw that it was for rent not too long ago. It has a fully carpeted floor (making it really perfect for barefeet) and nice woodwork around the stage. They have an oil projection screen, and a good light show. I don’t remember seeing any security around inside the show, and the general vibe was quite delightful. The concessions weren’t too costly, I bought a Caeser salad for four dollars the first night, although they are stocking a bunch of schwag candy bars and chips which didn’t seem to sell well. Spearhead draws a pretty health-conscious crowd, so fortunately there was a raw-food/juice bar set up upstairs on the second night. Guayaki Yerba Mate was present to serve people their flavoured Yerba Mate blends. I hung the Pure Hemp banner in the stairwell, leading people upstairs to the booths and the Helps Eradicate MilitaristicPatriarchy banner I hung above the stairs, so people could see it on their way down. That Pure Hemp banner must have been too tempting, because it disappeared at the end of the night. Oh well, C’est La Vie! The highlight of the night was near the end, when they hada floral arranger come on stage and create a masterpiece right before our eyes. The song goes like "You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can’t bomb it into peace." It was really powerful, and in these times, was ever-so poignant. Melody danced with Orion, and I know it was healing for her. She has a son named Orion, also a Gemini, who shares the same June 19th birthday as me. Unfortunately, since her accident, she hasn't seen him, and his father’s family just returns her packages and it’s really hard for her, as you can imagine. I’m stoked to be in San Francisco at these times. The old-school hippies are coming out of the wood-work, and joining the growing numbers of youth who are calling for peace. It's like the stakes are higher, now though. Because everything is inter-related, the peace movement is comprised of youth, of Labour, of Ethnic groups, of Medical Marijuana activists, of Lesbian, Gay and Trans-gender activists Environmentalists, and all others who don’t have a specific banner to rally behind. Compared to the Sixties, the stakes are higher, as it is evident that the Earth cannottolerate such unruly behaviour by our nations leaders. The only people who really want this war are the American and European Elites, who stand to gain economically from the break-up of Saddam’s Oil wealth. All other supporters of the war have been indoctrinated by the same group of elites who will gain from this war. The media has been beating fear into the souls all of those glued to their T.V.’s. It’s proven that there’s no link between Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda, and Saddam Hussein, yet time and time again, we are led to believe that somehow 9-11 is linked to this war. The fact is, the U.N sanctions over the past 12 years have allbut crippled Iraq, and the people there have been suffering unimaginable hardships. Saddam may be a harsh ruler, but so are many rulers. War and economic sanctions affect the people more than the rulers. This is always the case. During this new year, the U.S. has also sent troops to Columbia to beef up security around an oil pipeline which has been threatened by indigenous guerrilla groups who are resisting the onslaught of the oil industry in their homeland jungles. These militant atrocities are being carried out under the guise of Plan Columbia, which is part of the Drug war. We haven’t heard much about that, have we? Likewise, ask yourself why, just as we are about to go to war, does the DEA carry out sweeping raids on Internet pipe wholesalers, glass blowers, Randy’s wired papers, and even Berkley head shops? Americans wouldn’t take that kind of invasionlying down if it weren’t for the war. This War on Terror terrorizes the peaceful, and strengthens America’s stranglehold on the Earth and her resources. Anyone who connects with the Earth, or likes being in nature, must realize that this is a war on our home, Mama Gaia. I read the text of George W’s War speech and a lot of the things he was saying about Iraq and Saddam, one could misunderstand, and think he was talking about America. I guess it all depends upon your perspective. On the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien was indirectly quoted: saying that Canada would spurn any war effort. That makes me happy to be Canadian. So with stakes higher than they’ve been before, we all need to work to sway the masses to feel the effects caused by our actions. Now is the time, like never before to show the world that us Earthlings are willing to stand for our source of life. It’s more than a matter of life and death, it’s a matter of the survival of all life on Earth! We all have the power to transform this conundrum into an opportunity for beautiful life to thrive! Carpe’ Diem!~ Johannes Chapman, Pure Hemp Caravaner 1.0